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456

183
WILLIE MACINTOSH


457

Burning of Auchindown

WILLIE MACINTOSH—A

[_]

a. The Thistle of Scotland, p. 106, 1823. b. Whitelaw, The Book of Scottish Ballads, p. 248; from an Aberdeen newspaper of about 1815.

1

Turn, Willie Macintosh,
Turn, I bid you;
Gin ye burn Auchindown,
Huntly will head you.’

2

‘Head me or hang me,
That canna fley me;
I'll burn Auchendown
Ere the life lea me.’

3

Coming down Deeside,
In a clear morning,
Auchindown was in flame,
Ere the cock-crawing.

4

But coming oer Cairn Croom,
And looking down, man,
I saw Willie Macintosh
Burn Auchindown, man.

5

‘Bonny Willie Macintosh,
Whare left ye your men?’
‘I left them in the Stapler,
But they'll never come hame.’

6

‘Bonny Willie Macintosh,
Whare now is your men?’
‘I left them in the Stapler,
Sleeping in their sheen.’

Willie Mackintosh

WILLIE MACINTOSH—B

[_]

Finlay's Scottish Ballads, II, 89, 1808, as recollected by a lady and communicated by Walter Scott.

1

As I came in by Fiddich-side,
In a May morning,
I met Willie Mackintosh,
An hour before the dawning.

2

‘Turn again, turn again,
Turn again, I bid ye;
If ye burn Auchindown,
Huntly he will head ye.’

3

‘Head me, hang me,
That sall never fear me;
I'll burn Auchindown
Before the life leaves me.’

4

As I came in by Auchindown,
In a May morning,
Auchindown was in a bleeze,
An hour before the dawning.
[OMITTED]

5

Crawing, crawing,
For my crowse crawing,
I lost the best feather i my wing
For my crowse crawing.